Mace secured a pre-construction agreement in August 2018 for Marshgate 1, the largest building in the first phase of the new UCL East campus.
Vinci was named contractor for Pool Street West student accommodation and academic facilities in March 2019.
Contracts have now been signed and work is under way on site. An official ground breaking ceremony with the mayor of London was held in July.
Marshgate 1, designed by architect Stanton Williams, is a £215m nine-storey academic block.
Pool Street West comprises one tower of 16 storeys and one of 20 storeys. Vinci’s contract has come in at £99.9m, a shade under the previously billed £104m.
Together, the new buildings will house hi-tech laboratories and research space, student accommodation and designated areas for working with schools, charities and local groups. They will total more than 50,000 square metres and be home to 4,000 students and around 260 academic staff.
Pool Street West is due to open opening in 2022, and Marshgate in 2023.
The two new buildings are part of a £1.25bn ten-year programme of investment in UCL’s estate across London.
Kevin Argent, UCL director of estates development, said: “We look forward to working closely in partnership with Mace and Vinci to deliver these fantastic two buildings. They are key parts of the next phase of Transforming UCL, our programme to create a world-class estate for a world class university.”
The new UCL East campus is being built to the south of the London Aquatics Centre and the ArcelorMittal Orbit on Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park in East London. It will ultimately provide around 180,000 square metres of new floor space.
UCL president & provost Michael Arthur and director of estates Francesca Fryer signed the contracts with Chris Hamer, managing director of Vinci Construciton UK’s building division, and Terry Spraggett, Mace construction business unit director.
UCL East is part of cultural cluster being developed in the Stratford area, with the BBC, London College of Fashion, Sadler’s Wells and V&A museum all part of the new East Bank.
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